Background
88.1 KDHX is listener-supported, nonprofit, independent radio. They raise money largely through two big asks a year: the fall and spring pledge drives. I began DJing at KDHX in 2014 in the midst of the 2014 spring pledge drive and, unlike other longtime shows, could not depend on a built-in listenership to reach my goal. The station was also facing donor fatigue, coming off two recent "special" campaigns around moving to a new studio, as well as a $50,000 Kickstarter campaign. I was also on at 11pm at night.
Execution
I had to think of something to actually motivate people to give to KDHX one more time, to a show they'd likely never heard.
I began a Facebook campaign promising to eat a pizza roll for every $10 pledged to my show. The idea took off, and I ended up pledging to eat 50+ pizza rolls on the air. To appeal to those concerned for my health, I took a pizza roll off the tally for every $20 "Saving Throw" pledged. In the end, I raised over $850+ for the radio station (after late pledges), hundreds more than my set goal in that time slot, and gained a couple hundred followers for my radio show's Facebook page.
Local media caught wind and covered the stunt:
